The National chairman, All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has implored Nigerians to discountenance the hullabaloos in the Senate over the issue of uniform concerning the Comptroller General of Customs Colonel Hameed Ali (rtd) and other ranging issues in the Senate, saying all would soon be a thing of the past.
Chief Oyegun stated this on Monday at the opening ceremony of the Second Annual Retreat for the Sokoto State Executive Council, Permanent Secretaries and Director-General at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Plateau State
The National Chairman who said APC led administration has performed well in the past two years, said those issues in the Senate like uniform, certificate scandal, cars would soon be a thing of the past, urged Nigerians not to lose focus adding that better days are ahead.
“From all indications, APC-led administration in the past two years has performed wonderfully. I am using this opportunity to enjoin Nigerians to discountenance the bickering in Abuja over uniform or no-uniform. Brighter days are ahead as President Mohammadu Buhari is steadily and progressively moving the nation forward.”
He commended the Governor of Sokoto State, Rt Honourable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal over his many achievements, especially in the areas of Agriculture and Education, describing him as the pride of the party.
He charged the participants to be bold, courageous and innovative at discussing the challenges of the state.
Oyegun said, “You must plan and think big; you must think of the kind of Sokoto you intend to hand over to the younger generation.”
Declaring the retreat opened, Tambuwal said it was meant to be a midterm assessment of his administration; to observe where it has done well and where it should further improve on its performance. Adding that the first of such retreat held in Kaduna gave rise to the much achievement it has made in education, agriculture and several other sectors.
He charged the participants to take advantage of the cream of renowned resource persons drawn from various fields of endeavours, including academia, civil service, politics and the like, to better their lots.
Earlier, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammad Sa’ad Abubakar had charged the participants not to see the retreat as a jamboree, but to consider it a serious business to deliberate on good governance “in order not to waste the rare opportunity given us.”
He also called on the state government to organise a more elaborate retreat “that will cover the three arms of government; the judiciary, the legislature and the executive, and indeed the local governments, to bring out all issues that relate to good governance.”
The Gbong Gwom Jos, who described the Sultan as his brother, noted that the Plateau people in Sokoto have brought good reports on how the Governor and the Sultan have accommodated and integrated them into the state, adding that Plateau people in Sokoto now see the place as their home.
He challenged the resource persons to see Sokoto in the context of the Nigerian nation, and not to isolate it in dealing with its issues in the retreat, since no state can stand on its own.
The theme of the retreat is: “Consolidation of Achievements and New Strategies for Efficient Service Delivery in Sokoto State.”
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